The season for the Chaminade University women's tennis team had a lot of promise. Despite going winless through their first six matches, the Silverswords demonstrated a lot of spirit and determination.
However the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the second half of their 2020 season.
Despite the abrupt ending, the team showed its potential, making them a squad to be on the lookout for in the coming years.
"Even though our season was cut short because of the pandemic, I watched our players perform at a high level," head coach
Ty Aki said.
Junior
Catrina Liner (Corvallis, Ore./Corvallis) and freshman
Kayleen Lau (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Maui) solidified the top two spots in singles – Liner at No. 1 and Lau at No. 2 – while teaming up for No. 1 doubles.
The duo's chemistry was evident in their first match of the year against Dallas Baptist where they upset Kate Dougherty and Leslie Taylor, the fifth-ranked doubles team in the NCAA Division II South Central Region, winning the match in a 7-5 tiebreaker.
"I was impressed with Catrina and Kayleen," Aki recalled. "(Dougherty and Taylor) were undefeated in their division and were surprised by our ability to fight for a win."
The team's next match, a Feb. 16 date against Pacific West Conference rival Hawai'i Hilo on the Big Island, helped to reinforce the 'Swords' competitive spirit. Liner and Lau lost in a tiebreak in their doubles match while Liner dropped a third-set tiebreak in her singles match.
Facing Dominican on March 8 at home, Lau finally came through with her first career singles win, outlasting Camarena Ofelia Lopez in three sets, with Aki noting that Lau "played a smart match." Aki also praised
Elyssa Shirai (Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) in her No. 4 singles loss.
"Although Elyssa didn't win, she had a tough match that had a lot of great exchanges," he said.
The following day in a rematch against UH Hilo, Lau came through again, this time sweeping past Carmelle Joyner in straight sets including a tiebreak in the second set to earn her second consecutive singles win.
"That match was an experience I enjoyed, not because of the outcome, but because of how much determination I saw in her eyes," Aki said.
Tomomi Kohno (Tokyo, Japan/McKinley) also played outstanding in her No. 5 singles match against the Vulcans' Shelby Graber, a rematch from the Feb. 16 meeting won by Graber 6-3, 6-3. Although she was swept, Kohno pushed Graber again, this time to a 6-4, 6-3 decision.
Then on March 12, just hours before they were set to face UH Hilo for a third time, the PacWest announced the postponement of all spring sports due to the pandemic. Four days later, the remainder of the season was canceled.
Although not having to complete the season was a bitter pill for all three of Chaminade's spring sports that were still in action including tennis. It meant the premature end to the careers of Shirai and Kohno who were one of four seniors. The team's other two seniors –
Cai Yan Fang (Zhongshan, China/McKinley) and
Mariel Navarro (Manila, Phillipines/McKinley) – are undecided on whether to take advantage of the NCAA's ruling of an extra year of eligibility for all spring sport seniors.
However 2021 appears to be extremely bright for the 'Swords with the return of Liner, Lau and freshman
Emily Ramirez Miranda (Honolulu/Kaiser). If Fang and Navarro return, it will further bolster the team's lineup in a strong PacWest women's tennis as they seek a bid to the conference championships for the first time since 2012.
